Search measurement
How to find out what keywords your website ranks for
Use Search Console to find real query data, connect searches to pages and understand why a rank tracker may report a different position.
28 September 2026 · 2 min read · By Sitewell
Start with the Search Console property for your website
Open the Performance report for search results, choose a useful date range and review the Queries table. Confirm you are viewing the correct domain or URL-prefix property. If the website is new or has little search activity, there may be little data to inspect.
Query data reflects recorded search activity, not every phrase your website could ever rank for. Some query detail is omitted for privacy, so visible rows may not sum to the total.
Source: Google’s Performance report guide.
Connect a query to the page that appears
- Choose a relevant query in the table.
- Review the Pages dimension to see which URL receives impressions.
- Compare equivalent date ranges, with the same country and device filters.
- Record clicks, impressions and average position together.
Separate brand searches from service searches
A customer looking for your business name already knows who you are. A customer searching for the service may be discovering you for the first time. Both matter, but growth in brand searches should not be reported as proof that every service page is improving.
Group queries according to the services you actually sell. This makes it easier to spot pages attracting the wrong audience.
Understand what rank tracking adds
A tracker checks a selected phrase under specified settings. Search Console’s average position summarises impressions from real searches. Differences are expected; neither should be presented as the one position every person sees. Sitewell stores selected keyword observations and uses connected Search Console data for broader context.
Read about SEO rank tracking services before choosing the phrases to monitor.
Choose an action from the evidence
A relevant page with impressions but few clicks may need a closer look at intent and its search appearance. A useful service with no visible queries may need an indexing check or better content. Low data is a reason for caution, not proof of failure.
The guide to search impressions explains that first signal.